1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to an improved halter, preferably to be worn by a horse.
2. Prior Art
A halter is put upon a horse's head to control it while the horse is being lead or tied. Bridles have a mouthpiece and are used to ride or drive a horse. In order to put a bridle on a horse, the halter, if in place on the horse's head, must first be removed. This creates a chance for the horse to pull its head up out of the handler's reach so that it might run off. The same situation is created in reverse when the horse is wearing a bridle and the handler needs to put a halter on the horse.
There are two U.S. patents for halters that have addressed this problem, but neither has achieved commercial success in the United States. U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,611 to Purdy, 1989 solves the problem with a noseband strap that is attached to the rest of the halter at one or both ends with a snap. U.S. Pat. No. 1,325,061 to Veal, 1919 uses a single snap, with a different configuration of square-shaped rings to join the noseband strap and cheek pieces.
Both of these patents allow a handler to put a halter on a horse without removing the bridle first, or to put a bridle on without first removing the halter. However, both patents have flaws. The rings on both the Purdy patent and the Veal patent to which the noseband strap is attached allow the noseband strap to flop forward down over the horse's nose, since they are not are not confining enough to hold the snaps straight.
Most halters are made with slotted rings that are known as “squares.” Squares have upper, middle and lower slots that are close to the same width as the nose and cheek strap material. The slots keep the noseband strap aligned correctly with the cheek straps. Adopting halter squares into the Purdy or Veal patent would not improve it. The snaps shown in both the Purdy and Veal patents cannot be used with squares, as the snaps cannot fit around the bar of the slot. Also, a metal snap attached to a metal ring would have a tendency to snap more easily than a strong, flexible material such as nylon or leather attached to a metal ring. The snaps may break if the horse pulls on the halter hard enough while attached to a restraining tether. In general, the snaps do not create a neat appearance on the horse, which may be why neither halter is in common use.
There is a halter in European countries that has been in common use for quite some time. It has a noseband strap made of two straps. Each of these straps is permanently attached at one end to the preferred slotted squares on both sides of the halter. The opposite end of one of the straps has a buckle attached to it and the other strap has holes to receive it. Thus, the noseband strap is made of two straps and is joined in the middle by a buckle across the horse's nose. While this type of halter solves the problem of leaving the horse's head free when changing its headgear, it has not proven popular with horse owners in the United States.
The skin across a horse's nose is thin and prone to damage. Horse owners in the U.S. often put fleece tubes on the noseband straps of their horse's halters to prevent sores. I believe American horse owners have not embraced the European design because the buckle, with the bar side toward the horse, lies squarely across the horse's nose or slightly off to one side. While the bar of the buckle is safely covered by the connecting strap, the buckle creates a hinge-like portion in the noseband strap. This probably makes horse owners think that the buckle will cause damage to their horse's nose.
In addition, the European style of halter usually does not offer a strap that can be shortened under a horse's chin to accommodate different sized noses. In the European style, it is the strap across the bridge of the nose that has the adjustment holes. If the noseband strap is shortened enough, a strap end that can flap about is created. The loose end can be tucked into the hole of the left halter square, however, doing so interferes with the common practice of running the chain end of a lead line up through the left halter square, looping it around the noseband strap or running it under the horse's chin, then through the right halter square and alongside the right cheek strap to be attached to the right ring by the horse's ear. This is done for added control of the animal.